Hal Rafter

Hal Rafter is a Democratic candidate for the New Hampshire House of Representatives, Rockingham 1, in the November 3, 2026 general election.[1][2] He previously represented the district in the House from October 2023 to December 2024.[1]

Hal Rafter was born in Mason, New Hampshire, and earned a master's degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1978.[1] His career experience includes working as a senior programmer, a housing analyst and an adjunct professor.[1]

Rafter ran for Rockingham 32 in 2020 and lost the general election to incumbent Terry Roy, and he was among the Democrats who advanced from the 2022 Rockingham 1 primary but did not win in the general election.[1] He won the September 19, 2023 special general election for Rockingham 1, defeating James Guzofski, and assumed office on October 4, 2023.[1] He left office on December 4, 2024, after the November 2024 general election, in which Republicans Scott Bryer, James Guzofski and Paul Tudor won the three seats.[1]

In a 2022 Ballotpedia survey, Rafter said he had lived in Nottingham for 38 years, served eight years on the school board and three as a selectman, and that he and his wife had run small businesses.[3] In that survey he named public education, defending rights, and addressing climate change among his priorities.[3]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.